Shades Of Green
by yukikoneko1990
Summary: "Bloody hell, mate." Harry murmured almost tenderly and Bruce's eyes widened when Harry cupped his left cheek in his right hand and caressed his cheekbone with his thumb. "Can there be a day we meet when you aren't wet and dirty?" his words startled a subdued chuckle from Bruce. Harry smiled at him and helped him up. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up."
1. Chapter 1

Written for **HPSlashAddict**!

**I do hope it's alright!**

**Disclaimer:**I don't own the characters of Harry Potter or the Avengers. The song which inspired and is featuring in this story is 'Story of my life' sung by One Direction, released on 29 October 2013 by Syco Music and Columbia Records, written by Julian Bunetta, Jamie Scott, One Direction and John Ryan. I claim no rights to anything!

**Warning!**

**This one-shot centers on Bruce and Harry, and holds explicit content! If you are in any way bothered by it, or you're underage (you shouldn't even be here if you are), please continue on your own discretion!**

**I won't be held responsible for offending anyone since you've been warned!**

**_Enjoy!_**

* * *

Bruce took a deep breath once he closed the door of his car and turned around to take in his surroundings. The sky was clear and the sun shone brightly. The light breeze which danced through the trees was like a gentle, refreshing caress in the heat of that easy mid-August Friday. He looked at the small house in front of which he parked his car and his smile turned nostalgic.

It wasn't a big house; just a single floor and an attic which was redecorated into a master bedroom shortly after the house was bought. The outside was white, and on either side of the wooden front door painted dark brown were two windows with blue windowpanes. Following the small stone path that led from the entrance to the front yard to the front door were flowerbeds with blooming white lilies. To the right was a small, round wooden arbor, surrounded by different flower bushes. To the left was a small fountain, equally surrounded by flowers.

Bruce swallowed with slight difficulties as he stepped onto the stone path leading to the entrance of the house. He buried his hands in his pockets as he made his way forward to try and stop them from shaking, but for some reason he couldn't. He hesitated on the small step in front of the door, steeled his shoulders and nodded for himself before he took that last step forward and raised his right hand to knock on the door. He knocked three times sharply and stepped back.

His nervous smile turned into a confused frown when he received no answer. This time he rang the doorbell, thinking that maybe the owner of this small haven was up in the master bedroom. When no answer came, he sunk into his thoughts, searching for that newly formed connection with Hulk to try and hear for any movements in the house. When he heard none he took a deep breath and dug out a small key from his right pocket. He looked at the key and then at the door.

Did he dare hope that the key would fit; that the lock on the door hasn't been changed?

He almost turned around and ran to his car, but a rumble in his mind stopped him.

He turned on his heel and looked at the door again. With a deep breath he walked over to it and pushed the key inside the lock. His right hand shook as he turned the key and he felt like someone kicked the air out of him when he heard the familiar sound of the lock clicking open. He opened the door and walked in slowly, breathing in the familiar scents which somehow remained the same even after he hasn't been here for almost 3 years.

He looked to the right at the entrance to the kitchen. It was just like he remembered it; pristine clean with a tea-pot sitting on the isle-counter. To the right of the hallway was the living room and Bruce frowned a bit when he saw a wool-blanket haphazardly thrown over the backrest of the couch and a book lying open on the tea table in front of it.

"Harry?" he called out carefully as he stepped further inside. He walked into the kitchen and straight through it to the dining room to find it empty. He returned to the hallway and walked past the stairs leading to the attic to check the bathroom and the small office between the bathroom and the living room.

He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked up. With a strained swallow he looked around and frowned. The smell in the air, the tea-pot in the kitchen and the book on the table in the living room told him that the house was left in a hurry a few hours ago at most. That also meant that the owner could return at any given time.

Bruce looked around as he walked into the living room.

Did he dare stay and wait for him?

Would he be welcomed?

The lock wasn't changed and Harry wasn't someone who left lose-ends like that so – could that mean that he was still waiting for him? Even after the way he left, after not even calling for 3 whole years, could Harry still be waiting for him?

He walked by the couch dragging the fingers of his right hand along the edge of the backrest before he stopped and looked around.

Almost nothing changed at all.

He took a seat in an armchair facing the couch as sudden weakness overwhelmed him, his guts felt like they were forcefully and quite suddenly filled with lead and his head felt heavy as he rested his right elbow on the armrest and hid his face in his right hand.

He never should have returned.

* * *

_Written in these walls are the stories that I can't explain. _

* * *

_"Hey! Are you alright?" his head snapped up and unfocused and wild brown eyes met emerald orbs full of concern. The stranger's hands were raised in a calming gesture, and through the haze still clouding his mind, he realized that he was still breathing quickly and that he must look insane with his pants almost falling off of him, and his body covered with dirt. "Can you understand me? I won't hurt you, I promise. I just want to help you." The young man in front of him spoke calmingly and he made an effort to calm his breathing and pushed the Other Guy back into the corners of his mind where he belonged._

_"I – I'm fine." He stuttered out. His whole body shivered and he realized slowly that it was night and that rain was pouring heavily, drenching the both of them. The young man snorted and rolled his eyes._

_"You're far from being alright, mate." He said and crouched in front of him with his hands now turned palms up. "Come on. My tent is near by. I think I have some clothes that might fit you. You need to warm up if you don't want to get sick." Making sure that the Other Guy wouldn't show up any time soon, he nodded and took the stranger's right hand in his left, allowing him to pull him up. He stumbled forwards once he was on his feet and the younger man hurried to steady him, wrapping his arms around his waist. "Easy now." He murmured as he took a firmer hold of him. "Small steps; we're already wet as it is." He said with a smirk. "I'm Harry Potter, by the way." _

_"B-Bruce; I'm Bruce B-Banner." He stuttered out through chattering teeth and Harry tsked under his breath._

_"Did no one ever tell you that running around in pouring rain wasn't good for your health, Bruce?" Harry's dryly spoken question startled a chuckle out of Bruce and he winced when he stumbled only for Harry to heft him up and take a firmer hold of him. _

_"No, I'm afraid not." Harry snorted and shook his head._

_"Figures." He muttered and Bruce's lips tilted into a small smile. "Just a bit more." They entered a clearing and Harry led Bruce over to a pretty big tent set by the line of the trees with a long burned out campfire in front of it. They entered the tent and Harry sat Bruce down on a small chair before he rushed over to a big wooden chest beside a sleeping bag. He opened it and dug through it to find some clothes that would fit Bruce's bigger frame. That gave a chance to Bruce to check Harry out. The younger man couldn't be older than 25. His lithe yet muscled form was outlined by his wet clothes and he moved with the awareness of a seasoned soldier. His hair was raven black and his skin was tanned, as though he spent a lot of time in the sun. _

_It made Bruce wonder what the younger man was doing this deep in the rainforests of Sub-Saharan Africa. _

_"Here you go." Bruce woke up from his musings when Harry offered him a big fluffy towel and a pile of clothes. "These might be a bit tight, but better than running around naked." Bruce chuckled and accepted everything from the younger man. Harry smiled and went back to his chest to take some clothes for himself also giving Bruce some privacy. The Gamma-scientist dried himself and quickly pulled on the clothes he was given, surprised that they actually weren't as tight. Maybe Harry wasn't alone here after all? Maybe this other guy was around Bruce's build._

_"Are you hungry? I have some rations prepared. They're not the best when it comes to taste, but at least they're something."_

_"I don't want to-…"_

_"Oh, posh!" Harry interrupted him and waved him off and Bruce frowned a bit when he saw some kind of a holster on Harry's right forearm with an end of what seemed to be a wooden stick peeking out. It was too thin to be a knife-holster, which made Bruce wonder. "There's enough to feed an army." Bruce took a deep breath and nodded._

_"Alright then; I will have some. Thank you." Harry smiled and tilted his head to the side. For a moment Bruce felt like Harry was studying him, but it was all gone in a second when Harry moved to the back of the tent to get the rations._

_Not knowing what else to do, Bruce took a seat on that small chair and let go of a deep, relaxing breath. The rain was still falling and the pitter-patter of the drops on the material of the tent created a suiting music to Bruce's ears. He smiled at Harry when he offered him two sandwiches and a bottle of water. Harry took a seat on the sleeping-bag and split his own sandwich in half before he wrapped one part of it and placed it aside. Bruce looked at the sandwiches in his hands. They weren't big, but they weren't small either. He looked at Harry again and his frown deepened when he saw that Harry ate his sandwich slowly; as though he was savoring each bite like it would be his last. _

_Was Harry saving his food? Did he lie when he said that there was enough?_

_"Bruce?" he looked at Harry and found the younger man staring at him with a raised eyebrow. "Is everything alright?"_

_"Is there really enough?" Bruce asked, not seeing any point in avoiding the subject. In the next moment Harry choked up and blushed furiously looking at the second part of the sandwich he stored for later._

_"There's enough! It's just – I'm used to small portions and these sandwiches are a bit big for me." Bruce's frown deepened but he couldn't detect a lie in Harry's words so he just nodded and started on one of the sandwiches he was given. _

_Harry finished first of course, so he stood up to clean up a bit and fastened the tent saying that there was a storm coming. Bruce frowned in worry. If the storm got any worse there would be no way for him to get out of there any time soon. He was putting Harry in danger this way, and that was a thought that was hard to handle. The younger man helped him out of a tight situation. He didn't want to hurt him._

_"I think we'll be safe for tonight." Harry said as he took a seat on the wooden chest and looked at Bruce after he pushed his hands under his thighs._

_"Thank you for helping me. I'll leave as soon as the rain stops." Bruce said and Harry raised an eyebrow at him._

_"To where?" he asked dryly. "I'm sorry to say this, but you've attracted quite a bit of attention with how you ran through the woods all green and big. You're lucky I was here. The natives aren't all that welcoming to things they don't understand." Bruce froze up immediately and his mind filled with panic as his heart started to pick up speed. "Hey!" Harry was in front of him in a second with his hands on his shoulders and his eyes focused on his. "Take it easy, Bruce. I'm not here to hurt you. Take it easy. Everything's alright." Bruce stared in Harry's eyes as he took deep calming breaths, searching for any sign of deceit and not finding any. "I've been here for a few weeks now gathering plants. I've seen you a few miles up north a few times. I didn't think I'd run into you so deep in the forest though."_

_"How – How did you-…"_

_"How did I find you? Well, I hate to say this, mate; but you make quite a ruckus when you move. I heard you thundering through to forest a few miles back. You jumped over my tent and I ran out. I saw you shifting mid air and ran to find you. I couldn't risk anyone finding you before me. Like I said; some people aren't all that fond of things they don't understand." Bruce frowned at him._

_"And you?" he asked as his heartbeat calmed down and his breathing returned to normal. Harry raised an eyebrow at him with a small smile._

_"Well, you're not exactly human." He murmured and raised his right arm. Bruce jumped back when the wooden stick slipped up and into Harry's hand. It was a stick of an intricate design. "Promise you won't freak out? I need to spend a few more days here, and I don't want to be forced to fix my tent." Bruce swallowed difficultly and nodded his head. Harry turned around slowly keeping his eyes on Bruce before he had to look away with his back half turned on the Gamma-scientist. He murmured something under his breath and flicked his stick, and a small fire appeared in the middle of the tent, making Bruce flinch back. Harry chuckled as though he had seen his reaction and turned to face Bruce. "I'm a Wizard. There's a world of Wizards kept hidden from people without magic we call Muggles. I'm an Auror, First Class. Aurors are like your police-men. I'm on leave and I came here to gather some plants you can't find in good ol' England." Bruce realized his jaw was hanging open and he snapped his mouth closed before he looked at Harry._

_"W-What?" Harry burst into laughter with his head thrown back. He stumbled and fell on his behind._

_"That definitely wasn't a reaction I expected!" he cried out as he wiped tears of mirth off of his face while Bruce stared at him in shock._

_"You mean like – like **magic**?" he asked and Harry snickered._

_"Yeah; magic, wands, cauldrons, brooms, all that shebang. You'd have figured it out sooner or later, since you're different yourself, and I don't intend to let you wander off alone. Call it a hero-complex." Harry winked at him and Bruce blushed furiously._

_"But – But you've seen-…"_

_"Mate, my honorary godfather was a werewolf. Trust me. There's nothing that can scare me."_

_"Werewolf?" Bruce piped out with wide eyes and Harry laughed again._

_"Yeah; werewolf!" the Gamma-scientist gaped at the younger man._

_"This is insane." He mumbled and Harry snickered._

_"Almost as insane as a normal man turning into a big, green grasshopper?" Bruce choked up on a surprised laugh._

_"Big, green grasshopper?" he pressed out as he tried to suppress his laughter and Harry grinned at him. Bruce took a deep breath as he stared at Harry._

_"Tell me more." _

* * *

Bruce sighed as he raised his head only to rest it back on the backrest of the armchair. He looked at the ceiling as the memories of his first meeting with Harry flittered through his mind. To this day he couldn't believe that he and Harry were in the same place at the same time. To this day, he couldn't figure out how Harry figured out his problem; that one look at his human form and a glance at the Hulk told Harry enough to conclude that Bruce wasn't a bad guy.

_Don't judge a book by its cover_, Harry told him.

Harry didn't need to tell him that he was a Wizard. He didn't need to tell him anything. He didn't need to help him.

But Harry told him that he wanted to. He told him that one look at Bruce told him that he needed someone he could trust.

After being told about Harry's past, his school years, being left by his girlfriend because his powers seemed to grow exponentially after he killed the man who wanted him dead ever since birth, how he was abandoned by practically everyone he trusted because he was stronger than they thought a wizard could ever be, and taken in by the one person he never thought he would be able to trust, Bruce understood to some point why Harry helped him. Harry's friend, Draco Malfoy, helped Harry after years of rivalry just because he _could_, and when Harry saw Bruce, he decided to do the same for him.

Bruce denied it, of course. The storm lasted for three days, and Bruce was telling himself that he would be gone the moment the storm was over. Harry would need to go back to England, and Bruce couldn't return to civilization. He was a danger to everyone, and he couldn't go back. He couldn't risk it.

Harry just smiled at him and shrugged his shoulders. He gave him a small piece of paper and said that if he ever wanted to see Harry again to just take a firm hold of it and say 'Sanctuary', and that he would be brought to Harry's house immediately.

The moment the rain stopped, Bruce watched Harry gather his things. He asked him one more time if Bruce wanted to come with him, and Bruce declined. The Gamma-scientist was surprised when Harry pulled him into a tight hug. At that time he didn't give much thought to the way his heart picked up speed. When Harry let go of him and moved back, he gifted Bruce with a small, almost _sad_ smile and vanished in a swirl of colors.

Suffice to say, Bruce tried to stay away; key word _tried_. He came as far as Cambodia, when on a dark night, sitting alone in a small cave, he thought of Harry. He thought of Harry's fearless touches and joking jibes. It was the first time in a long, long while that someone touched Bruce without fear. It's been even longer since anyone joked around him.

He took the small, crumpled piece of paper from his back pocket where he kept it safe almost religiously and squeezed it in his hand.

And with a muttered word he was gone from that small, wet cave.

* * *

_"Bruce?!" the heaving man looked up at the shocked figure of Harry Potter standing in the entrance to what seemed to be a living room._

_"H-hey!" the Gamma-scientist gasped out. In a second, Harry was right in front of him with his hands on his shoulders and his calming presence wrapping around Bruce like a warm comforter._

_"Bloody hell, mate." Harry murmured almost tenderly and Bruce's eyes widened when Harry cupped his left cheek in his right hand and caressed his cheekbone with his thumb. "Can there be a day we meet when you **aren't** wet and dirty?" his words startled a subdued chuckle from Bruce. Harry smiled at him and helped him up. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up."_

* * *

He stayed with Harry for 6 months. For six months the Hulk was calm. For six months, Bruce lived in peace. Life with Harry was in no way boring. The young Auror had thousands of books as Bruce found out. The Gamma-scientist also discovered an unknown affinity for growing things, and once Harry taught him everything he knew Bruce started tending to the flowers in front of Harry's house. Bruce also found out that Harry avoided using magic when he was away from the Wizarding World. The emerald-eyed man loved working with his hands. He said it was calming; rewarding.

Bruce couldn't agree more.

Together they made the arbor and planted the flowers in Harry's front yard.

Looking back, those were the happiest times Bruce had since Hulk showed up.

Of course he had to ruin it all.

He ruined everything so why would his relationship with Harry be any different?

* * *

_It seems to me that when I die  
these words will be written on my stone._

* * *

_Bruce looked up from the book he was reading and a small smile tugged on his lips when he found Harry sleeping soundly on the couch. He was curled up on his side with his left arm reaching towards Bruce, and his lips were parted as his body moved with each slow, deep breath he took. Bruce marked the page in the book before he placed in on the tea-table and stood up. _

_He knew that there was no sense in trying to wake Harry up. The Wizard returned from a mission less than 12 hours ago and if he was asleep it was a good thing. Waking him up would result in him not being able to go back to sleep. _

_With all the tenderness in the world, Bruce gathered Harry into his arms, amazed by the fact that Harry was actually quite a bit smaller than him. The younger man always seemed larger than life._

_He carried him carefully up the stairs to the master bedroom and placed him in the bed before he covered him with a comforter. He took a seat beside him and smiled when Harry unconsciously rolled to his side and curled towards Bruce as he pulled his left arm from under the comforter, reaching for Bruce in his sleep._

_Without really thinking about his actions, Bruce raised his right arm and gently brushed Harry's fringe away from his face. Sleeping so peacefully, Harry looked like a child. He looked young and fragile. Seeing him like this made it almost hard to believe that Harry was a trained soldier; that he fought and killed._

_For the past 6 months Bruce lived with Harry the Wizard was kind enough to turn his living room into a bedroom for Bruce. He'd turn the couch into a bed every night or if he was on a mission he would let Bruce sleep in his bed. They lived together, they woke up at the same time to have breakfast and coffee (or tea in Bruce's case), they talked and they've gotten to know one another. _

_Harry was a beautiful man both inside and out. He had this roguish appearance and was mischievous to a fault, but he was kind and loving. Bruce never knew there could be someone as loving as Harry. On several occasions he wondered how Harry had no one in his life besides Draco. Harry just said that people were either scared of him or they worshiped the ground he walked on and he wanted to do nothing with either sort. He said that with such tenderness in his eyes as he stared at Bruce, that the Gamma-scientist felt something in his chest shift._

_Ever since that moment, Bruce looked at Harry in a different light. He noticed things he hadn't noticed before and that brought up a few questions, especially after he caught himself staring at Harry's behind while they worked in the garden._

_Bruce knew that he always appreciated beauty, but the question of his sexuality was never brought up. Sure, he experimented in high school. Who didn't? But he always thought he was straight._

_The things Harry made him feel were something he hadn't felt ever since he left Betty._

_Also, there was the question of the Other Guy. There was no way he would risk Harry's safety; no way in the world._

_It appeared that he would have to keep his emotions in check and simply remain a good friend to Harry. It would be best for the both of them. _

_"Bruce-…" he looked down when he heard his name roll off of Harry's lips in a murmured whisper, and his heart skipped a beat. He breathed out waveringly as he caressed Harry's left cheek with the back of his right hand and his mouth went dry when Harry shivered and leaned into his touch. Not realizing what he was doing, Bruce slowly bowed down until he touched Harry's cheek with the tip of his nose._

One kiss,_ he thought as Harry sighed and turned his head towards him as though this was something they did every day._ Just one kiss.

_When his lips met Harry's something in him burst. Warmth such as he never felt before filled every corner of his body only to settle in the pit of his stomach. In the next moment his breath hitched in his throat, his heart stopped and his eyes snapped open to meet wide emerald-green orbs._

_"Oh, god-…" he murmured. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, I don't-…" all of a sudden, Harry's fingers were in Bruce's hair, his lips were on his, Harry's warmth was enveloping him and his mind was strangely blank. _

_He pulled back slowly, and Bruce opened his eyes to look down in Harry's._

_"Took you long enough, you bloody wanker." Harry mumbled breathlessly and Bruce let go of the breath he was unconsciously holding. His heart was beating wildly in his ears and he froze, waiting for the overwhelming feeling of the Other Guy taking over._

_But there was nothing._

_There was absolutely nothing._

_"Bruce?" he focused on Harry again and found the smaller man smiling up at him with glowing emerald eyes. "It's okay." The Gamma-scientist needed no more. He kissed Harry with everything he had as he climbed over him._

_It felt amazing. It felt absolutely, bloody fantastic as he settled between Harry's parted legs and ground down against him. It left him breathless when Harry dug his nails into his shoulders through the thin material of his shirt. It made his mind blank out when Harry wrapped his legs around his waist and arched up against him when Bruce bit into his neck hard enough to leave a mark but not enough to pierce that beautiful, tender, soft skin stretched over a quickly pumping vein._

_His name rolled off of Harry's lips like a prayer worthy of the gods, and Bruce could swear that nothing ever sounded better than Harry's breathless moans and strained groans._

_And then it happened. _

_His heart started to beat ever faster and the pulse which shook his body made him freeze in place. His eyes opened to meet Harry's as he stilled and Harry's eyes opened wide when the acidic green of the Other Guy's stare bore into his eyes._

_"NO!"_

_"Bruce!"_

* * *

_And I'll be gone, gone tonight.  
The ground beneath my feet is open wide.  
The way that I've been holding on too tight,  
with nothing in between._

* * *

Looking back, he should have stopped. He didn't change. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He could hear the angry roar of the Hulk in his head, but at that time he misinterpreted it. He boarded the first boat he found for Europe and ran as far as he could.

He didn't call Harry.

He ran for Asia and refused to think about it all.

Only now, 3 years later, after the Battle of New York, after he finally _listened_ to Hulk for the first time since he appeared, Bruce realized the mistake he made.

The Hulk recognized Harry as theirs.

That night, he wouldn't have changed. Hulk just acknowledged Harry as theirs.

If only Bruce listened to him; if only he stayed calm enough to _listen_, he wouldn't have lost himself again. He wouldn't have used Anger as his only means to keep the Hulk at bay, when Hulk only wanted to protect him. It was the only thing he knew.

He realized that now.

But what if it was too late?

It _has_ been three years since he has last seen Harry; since he last talked with him.

It's been three years, and no matter how much Bruce wanted to forget, no matter how much he wanted to _stop caring_ he couldn't. If anything, he cared even more.

But why should Harry take him back?

Why should he still care about him?

Bruce used his hospitality; he made a place for himself in Harry's life only to leave without as much as a goodbye.

There was no reason for Harry to want him back.

No reason at all.

* * *

_The story of my life – I take her home;  
I drive all night to keep her warm  
and time is frozen._

* * *

As though hit with an arrow, Bruce jumped to his feet and made his way for the door. The moment he reached for the knob a pop sounded behind him and he froze in his place.

"Bruce?"

* * *

_The story of my life – I give her hope,  
I spend her love until she's broke inside. _

* * *

He was hardly breathing. His right hand was hovering an inch above the doorknob. He could feel Harry's presence right behind him. His breath was kicked out of him when he heard a floorboard creak and he knew; he just _knew_ Harry was reaching for him.

Not even thinking it through he turned around, and within a second his eyes were wide and he was gaping.

"Harry?" he breathed out weakly as Harry took a small step back and looked to the side. "Harry – oh, my God, what _happened_ to you?" he took a hesitant step forward and Harry draped his right arm over his stomach and took a firm hold of his left forearm as though he was trying to pull back in on himself.

"Mission gone wrong." He spoke in a broken, raspy voice. "It's alright though-…"

"It's not alright!" Bruce snapped only to flinch back when Harry recoiled. "I'm – I'm sorry. Come on, you need to sit down. Did someone tend to your wounds?" he asked, not even stopping to think for a second after he walked briskly to Harry's side, placed his hands on the younger man's shoulders and led him into the living room.

"We came back yesterday, and I fell asleep. I was called this morning to hand in a report and there wasn't time. Another team was sent for recon." Harry mumbled while Bruce helped him take a seat.

"They should have taken you to see a doctor right away." He grumbled as he took a seat on the tea-table in front of Harry and raised his hands to gently raise Harry's head up so that he could look at his face. His right cheek was one big bruise reaching to just under his left eye, the left corner of his lip was split and there were thin scratches on his face and a big one on his neck, following the line of his jugular vein. "Heavens, Harry, what happened?"

"That – That doesn't matter right now." Harry's voice broke as he reached up and took a hold of Bruce's wrists, making the Gamma-scientist see just how hard his hands were trembling. "What are you – How – How come you're here?" Bruce's mouth went dry and he stilled completely. "It's – It's been three years, Bruce. I hadn't heard from you in three years, right after the night we – I – and they I saw you on TV and-…"

"Harry, stop." Bruce interrupted him as he swallowed difficultly. "I – I have no excuse for running out on you like that. I just know that it was the stupidest thing I've done in my life. I know I hurt you, and I know there's no way for me to make that right, but right now, I need to make sure that you're alright and that your wounds wouldn't get infected. I know that you're stubborn and that you won't go and see a doctor, but I am asking you this. I don't – I know that I don't deserve your hospitality, but please, let me tend to your wounds. You helped me. Let me help you." Harry stared at him with almost dead eyes throughout his rant. Bruce's heart skipped a beat when Harry let go of his hands and let them rest in his lap as he bowed his head.

"The First Aid Kit is still in the bathroom." He mumbled into his chin and Bruce all but ran for the bathroom. He came back with the white box in his hands only to almost drop it when he entered the living room and found Harry standing with his shirt in his hands. Bruce licked his lips and took a firmer hold of the box.

"Maybe we should go to your bedroom. You'll be more comfortable if you lie down." Harry turned to look at him and nodded. He walked beside Bruce and the Avenger frowned when he noticed he was saving his right leg. He followed Harry up the stairs keeping a watchful eye on him all the way up, ready to jump to his aid if Harry were to stumble. Once they were in the attic Harry walked over to the bed and Bruce took a deep breath.

"Trousers off. I need to look at your leg as well." He said before Harry had a chance to lie down. The Wizard sighed as he unbuttoned and unzipped his trousers before he let them slip off of his thin hips and he stepped out of them gingerly. Bruce tensed up and shivered when he saw an almost openly bleeding gash running from Harry's hip to his knee. "Lie down on your left side. This might take a while." He walked over to the bed while Harry did as he was told and Bruce took a seat beside him. He opened the box after he placed in on the bed in front of himself and looked at Harry's battered body. With a sigh he took the bottle of disinfectant and some gauze, and set off to clean the gash in Harry's right thigh. "What happened?" he asked knowing that talking would distract the younger man from the pain at least somewhat.

"It was supposed to be just a simple recon mission." Harry spoke in a dull, dry tone. "I was sent with 6 others to retrieve some documents that were somehow stolen from the Ministry of Magic. We found the hideout of the thieves; we split in two groups and went it. Everything was going according to plan until we figured something out. They were Muggle-borns, and that meant that they didn't find themselves above using Muggle technology. Two of my teammates fell because we didn't protect ourselves in time from the explosions. Then came the fight." His breath hitched and he twitched in pain and Bruce looked up with an apologizing expression even though Harry wasn't looking at him. "We were severely outnumbered and two of the Aurors that came with me and survived the explosions were badly injured; to the point where they couldn't even lift their wand-arms. I managed to bring all three of us out of there but, as you can see, it wasn't without consequences."

"You're alive; that's all that counts." Bruce murmured as he took a bandage to wrap Harry's thigh. He did quick work of it before he took a deep breath and looked at Harry's back. "Front or back first?" he asked and Harry rolled onto his stomach.

"Back is worse." He muttered and Bruce frowned. He tended to the cuts and bruises on Harry's back and hissed under his breath when he saw a nasty cut disappearing under Harry's hair right beside his left ear.

"This will hurt." He warned but Harry said nothing. Bruce could see that he was fighting against unconsciousness, and a part of him was praying that Harry would just go to sleep. It would give him time to think; to come up with a reasonable explanation.

He knew there was nothing he could say to convince Harry to take him back. There was no reason for Harry to do that. But Bruce couldn't help but hope. If there was even the smallest chance that Harry still cared about him, that there was still a small part of Harry that still_ loved_ him, then Bruce would latch onto that hope and hold on with everything he had.

"Come on, I need you to turn on your back." Harry held his breath as he slowly rolled over to lie on his back and Bruce sighed in relief when he saw that there was no bruising signalizing internal bleeding on Harry's stomach. The younger man had a build that was lithe enough for Bruce to actually _see_ if there was anything wrong with Harry's ribs. There were no major wounds on Harry' front besides the superficial cut on his neck another one on his right side and the small cuts on Harry's face which were obviously already washed. Bruce made a mental note to tend to Harry's hands as well when he saw his knuckles which still had crusted blood on them. "Sit up a bit." Harry did as he was told and Bruce quickly tended to his neck and side. He took Harry's right hand in his left and looked up at the younger man from under his bangs. "Is something wrong?"

"Why did you come back? Now, after 3 years; why did you come back?" Harry's voice broke and Bruce took a deep breath.

"I wanted to come back right away." He said and Harry frowned. He was obviously fighting so hard to stay awake, to stay sitting up, if the trembles which periodically shook his body were any indication. "But I was afraid. I ran away because I thought I was shifting into Hulk. By the time I realized that I in fact, _wasn't_ about to shift, I was a whole continent away and too ashamed by my actions to come back." He wrapped Harry's hand into a bandage tenderly before he carefully placed it in Harry's lap and moved on to his other hand. "Before the Battle of New York I had an _epiphany_, if that's what you want to call it. Hulk only ever wanted to protect me. He is the manifestation of my fear. The reason why I shifted every time my heartbeat would go up is because Hulk was responding to my fear of shifting. He recognizes only one sort of fear. Now, I can control the shift. Now I know I won't shift just because my heartbeat's going wild." He chuckled as he started to bandage Harry's left hand.

"As for why I came back?" he looked at Harry and took a deep breath. "Honestly, I don't know. I know that you have every right to hate me. I know that I hurt you. I can never tell you enough how sorry I am for leaving you. It was the biggest mistake in my life. But I guess – I guess I wanted to see you. I didn't care if you'd throw me out, I just – I just wanted to make sure that you were alright."

"I wasn't." Bruce looked at Harry and his heart skipped a beat. "I wasn't alright. I knew why you left. It was only a matter of time. I knew that you left not because you didn't trust _me_, but because you didn't trust yourself. I – I knew that – I _hoped_ that someday you'd come back." Harry's eyes filled with tears and Bruce felt like someone kicked him in the stomach with Thor's hammer. "But –But _3 years_! Bruce I-…"

"Shhhhh!" the Gamma-scientist cupped Harry's cheeks and wiped his tears away with his thumbs. "I know, Harry, and I'm sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am. You'll never know that. I can repeat it every hour, every day until the end of my life, and it will never come close to it. _I love you_." Harry's breath hitched in his throat and his eyes widened, his body going completely stilled. "I loved you 3 years ago and I love you now more than I did then. If you tell me to leave right now, I will, but I will _never_ stop loving you. If you tell me that you don't want me, I will leave, but I need you to know that I love you."

"Bruce, I-…"

"Hush." Bruce interrupted the wizard who shook his head as he took a hold of Bruce's forearms. "You need to rest, Harry. You're tired and weak, and you need to-..."

"What I need is for you to be here!" Harry interrupted him and Bruce choked up on air. "I need you to be here when I wake up! I need you to be here when I go to sleep! I need you to – to stay and – I need you to _love me_, Bruce!" the Avenger gaped at the Wizard, not knowing what to say, and not daring to believe that Harry was actually saying that. "I waited. I waited for you to come back, Bruce Banner, and I'll be – I'll be _damned_ if I let you slip through my fingers-…" not knowing what else to do, not able to find the words to say, Bruce did the one thing that he could do. He leaned in and kissed Harry, pouring into the kiss all the love and hope he kept in his heart. Harry moaned into the kiss and his hold on Bruce's forearms grew stronger. The Wizard hissed and moved back when Bruce's right hand brushed against his bruise.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Bruce blurted out and tenderly kissed Harry's bruised cheek.

"Bruce-…"

"I'm not leaving." Harry's breath hitched in his throat and he looked at Bruce with wide, hope-filled eyes. "Unless you tell me to get lost, I'm not going anywhere." He smiled a small, honest to heart smile and his heart beat just that little bit faster when Harry smiled back at him, his eyes growing warm with love, and his whole body relaxing. He moved forward slowly and rested his forehead on Bruce's shoulder before he wrapped his arms around Bruce's waist. The Gamma-scientist wrapped his arms carefully around Harry and kissed his head before he nuzzled his cheek against it. "You need sleep, Harry." He murmured and the younger man hummed. Bruce chuckled and slowly moved back. Harry sighed as he lied down and Bruce raised an eyebrow at him when he tugged on his right hand with his left.

"Come on. There's enough room for the both of us." Harry mumbled as he settled on the bed with a wince. Bruce toed off his shoes and gingerly lied down beside Harry, careful not to jostle him too much. The Wizard huffed and slowly turned around, flinching when he settled on his right thigh. He looked at Bruce and sighed and the Avenger raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're supposed to go to sleep." He murmured and Harry hummed.

"In a minute." He answered and Bruce chuckled. He stilled as Harry observed him, his emerald-green eyes taking in every change in the lines of Bruce's face. Bruce shivered when Harry raised his left hand and gently tucked a lock of Bruce's hair behind his ear, before he caressed his right cheek with the back of his fingers. Bruce took Harry's left hand in his right and kissed his fingers before he tucked the hand against his chest as he moved closer. A wave of magic passed over them and Bruce smiled when they found themselves under a warm comforter.

"Sleep, Harry; I'll be right here." Bruce spoke warmly and Harry took a deep breath as he closed his eyes and curled closer to Bruce. The Avenger smiled lovingly as he caressed Harry's bandaged knuckles with his thumb. He couldn't get enough of Harry's face. He couldn't get enough of the warmth which was rolling off of Harry in steady waves, of the feel of his magic circulating around him like a current, deceivingly calm and threateningly strong. He looked around the attic; at the wooden walls, several wooden chests and the big shelves filled to the brim with books of all sorts. His heart ached when he realized that nothing really changed.

Harry was really waiting for him for the past 3 years.

He was waiting for him.

* * *

_Written in these walls are the colors that I can't change.  
I leave my heart open, but it stays right here in its cage._

* * *

If only Bruce wasn't a coward, he could have had this, _all of this_ all this time. If only he opened up his mind and heart and _listened_, Harry wouldn't have been alone for the past 3 years.

Harry was just like him in so many ways, but unlike Bruce who became like this because of an accident, Harry was practically _bred_ into the man his was.

He was feared just as Bruce was; accepted by few just like he was.

But unlike Bruce, he didn't have a bunch of friends he could go back to. His own government feared him, because unlike Bruce, he didn't have one of the strongest organizations in the world backing him up.

He was alone for so, so long.

And Bruce hurt him.

It didn't matter than Harry _wanted_ him back, because the fact still stood that Bruce left him. And Bruce was ready to spend the rest of his life being right there for Harry. He would do everything in his power to show Harry that he would never leave him again.

They may have both been hurt and they may have suffered, but together they would be alright.

They would be alright.

* * *

_Although I am broken my heart is untamed still._

* * *

Harry woke up with a sigh only to wince when he rolled to the side and pain burst in his right thigh. He cursed under his breath as his face wrinkled in pain, but a moment later his eyes snapped open when he heard a tsk full of annoyance and fondness coming from behind him.

"You just can't lie still, can you?" his breath hitched in his throat and he sat up ignoring his aching limbs and stared at Bruce who stood a few feet away from Harry's bed with a tray in his hands.

"Bruce?" he murmured with shock coloring his voice and the Gamma-scientist frowned at him in worry.

"Are you alright?" he rushed over to the bed, hurriedly placed the tray on the nightstand, took a seat and placed his right hand on Harry's forehead, while the Wizard stared at him with lips parted in shock and with bated breath. "You do have a slight fever." Bruce murmured and looked in Harry's eyes.

"You're here." Harry spoke as though he was waking from a dream. "You're really here." Bruce's frown of confusion swiftly turned into an expression of worried exasperation and his eyes filled with warmth. "I thought I dreamt it."

"I'm here, Harry." Bruce answered and gently took Harry's slightly smaller, but in no way weak hands in his. "Like I've already said; I'm not leaving unless you chase me away." Harry swallowed and Bruce's eyes focused on Harry's lips when his tongue peeked out to wet them. "I'm not leaving you again."

"What if you'll need to?" Harry's voice was raspy and low, and Bruce looked into those amazing emerald orbs which always demanded full attention. "I know you work with S.H.I.E.L.D. I know you're part of the Avengers Initiative. What if they call you?"

"How do you know about it?" Bruce asked and Harry shifted in his place with his head bowed.

"Fury contacted my commanding officer after the Battle of New Work. He asked for me to join in. Kingsley refused under the stipulation that he didn't want to lose his best field agent, but I'm more inclined to believe that they just want to have me here so that they could keep an eye on me."

"But you don't have to stay." Harry looked at Bruce and sparks of hope shone in his eyes. "Fury will do everything he can to protect you, Harry. He'll vouch for you. You can resign as an Auror and come with me. You don't have to stay here. The others will accept you too." Harry frowned and looked at their joined hands.

"Leave England?" he murmured and Bruce raised his hands took cup Harry's face and make him look up.

"You don't have to decide right away, Harry. You can take your time and think about it. Whatever decision you make I will support it. And even if they call me, and I have to leave, I will _always_ come back to you." Harry's bottom lip quivered and he let go of a wavering breath. Bruce smiled a small smile and gently caressed Harry's cheeks with his thumbs. "I was a fool once. I won't make the same mistake again." Harry moved forward quickly and kissed Bruce with everything he had. His hands fisted on Bruce's chest, crumpling his shirt in his trembling hands, and the Avenger kissed him back with just as much fervor as he entangled his fingers in Harry's hair.

His heart was beating quickly, and he could hear his blood rushing in his ears as Harry tugged on his shirt and pulled him towards himself.

"Harry, you're-…" he blurted out when they parted, but stopped when Harry shook his head at him and looked up at Bruce with glowing, emerald eyes.

"I'll be fine."

* * *

_And I've been waiting for this time to come around.  
But baby, running after you is like chasing the clouds._

* * *

Bruce let go of a wavering breath as he rested his forehead on Harry's while he loomed over the younger man with his arms on either sides of Harry's head.

"I love you." He whispered against Harry's lips while he nuzzled his nose against the Wizard's. "I love you so much." Harry shivered beneath him and dragged his hands up Bruce's chest before he fisted the collar of his shirt and tilted his head up to kiss him slowly and lovingly.

"I love you too." He murmured, and not being able to hold back anymore, Bruce kissed him with every single piece of love and passion and longing he kept and grew in his heart through the years they were parted. He settled between Harry's legs and ground his hips against Harry's, bowing his head and squeezing his eyes tightly shut when Harry gasped and arched up a bit.

They fit together like two puzzle-pieces long lost, Harry's warmth and magic wrapping around Bruce like a comforting blanket shielding him from the world.

Having slept in only his boxers after Bruce tended to his wounds, Harry's body was gloriously revealed to Bruce's hungry eyes. He kissed Harry's bruised cheek tenderly, as though to say 'heal quickly' and nuzzled his nose against Harry's bandaged neck before he placed a line of tender kisses along Harry's right shoulder, nibbling on his collar bone on his way to the hollow on Harry's neck. He could feel Harry's arousal through layers of clothing, and his own cock twitched in anticipation.

For 3 years he denied himself this; the scent of the younger man which reminded Bruce of rainforests and thunderstorms, the warmth of his body to which the strongest fire could hold no candle, the sound of his gasps and breathless mewls to which no music could compare.

For 3 years he dreamt of caressing Harry's soft skin, tasting him, kissing him; loving him.

And now that they were there, Bruce felt like he was granted the blessing of the Powers that Be.

Harry's right hand fisted in Bruce's curly hair and the fingers of his left hand dug into the muscle of Bruce's right shoulder as he kissed his soon-to-be lover deeply, conveying his feelings through simple yet so meaningful contact of lips. He rested his weight on his right elbow while he dragged the tips of his fingers down the middle of Harry's chest and stomach before he palmed the younger man's straining need through the material of his cotton boxers. He followed the trail his fingers left with his lips, leaving open mouthed kisses and dusky pink love-bites on Harry's tanned skin. He gently kissed the few wounds through the material of the bandages on his way down, and Harry twitched, gasped and arched up when Bruce nuzzled his cock through his boxers. He hooked the fingers of his left hand under the waistband and slowly tugged it down, careful of Harry's injured right thigh, and he felt like his guts fell when Harry yelped breathlessly after Bruce licked the underside of his hard length.

"Bruce – Bruce, _please-…"_ he shushed the writhing younger man before he placed his arms under Harry's thighs and took a firm hold of his hips as he took the head of his cock into his mouth and gave it a long, drawn out suck. Harry let go of a breathless wail as he arched up while Bruce took more and more of him into his mouth.

Warm and slick and – oh dear Merlin, Harry knew that Bruce would be his undoing.

His hands fisted in Bruce's hair, and the older man growled around his length, sending pleasant vibrations up his spine making his breath leave his struggling lungs, and shivers wreck his body. A whimper left his kiss-abused lips when Bruce swallowed around him, and his eyes rolled back as he unavailingly tried to breathe in enough air.

His mind was blank sans the overwhelming pleasure and passion. He couldn't form a coherent thought, let alone push anything but breathless gasps and moans past his dry lips.

White, hot pleasure burst in his mind when his orgasm washed over him, and he could do nothing but lay there and breathe, as his body was wrecked with trembles. He sighed in content when Bruce climbed over him and kissed him, and once they parted he opened his eyes and looked in Bruce's dilated brown orbs. He slowly raised his right hand and traced Bruce's left cheek with the tips of his fingers before he slowly lowered it to Bruce's right hand, entwining their fingers together on his stomach. Bruce bowed down and teased his lips into a slow kiss, only to chuckle breathlessly after, with a tickle of magic passing over his body, he found himself naked. Harry smiled up at him and winked, his eyes full of mischief.

Bruce swallowed with slight difficulties when Harry muttered something he couldn't understand as he raised their joined hands, leading Bruce's hand between his spread legs and to his entrance.

"I need you, Bruce." He murmured against Bruce's lips and the older man shivered as he let go of a wavering breath. "Please. It's been far too long." He traced Bruce's fingers with his trembling ones, lubing them up, before he took a gentle hold of Bruce's right forearm and nudged his hips up. His eyes slipped closed when Bruce traced his entrance with his slicked fingers, and Bruce took a deep, calming breath before he buried his face in Harry's neck and slowly pushed his index finger past Harry's entrance.

He raised his head and looked down at Harry's blushing face. He was resting his whole weight on his left elbow while Harry rested beside him with his whole body moving slowly every time Bruce would push his finger back in. Breathless sighs rolled off of Harry's lips, and his face was relaxed in an expression of pure bliss. Bruce nuzzled his nose in Harry's hair, right above his right ear, and Harry tilted his head towards him, nuzzling back. His gasped and arched up when Bruce pushed another finger in, and Bruce shivered again, knowing that he wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer.

"Bruce?" he opened his eyes and moved back a little to look down at Harry. The Wizard's hand was still holding on to Bruce's right forearm, but he moved his other hand between them to cup Bruce's right cheek. "Please; I'll be fine. Please, I _need_ you." He murmured breathlessly against Bruce's lips, and a pitiful whine passed Bruce's lips. He pulled his fingers out of Harry and let go of a wavering breath as he applied the rest of the lube Harry conjured on his aching member. He slowly moved back between Harry's legs and Harry moaned weakly when Bruce ground down on his reawakening member. He aligned his twitching cock with Harry's entrance as he rested his weight on his right elbow, but before he could push in, Harry cupped his face between his trembling hands and pulled him into a slow, loving kiss.

"I love you, Bruce Banner." He murmured, looking straight in Bruce's eyes. The Gamma-scientist shivered and moved forward quickly to kiss Harry hard and deep. He pushed in and stilled for a second, but in the next moment Harry snapped his hips up, taking Bruce all the way in, and Bruce swallowed the screamed of mixed pleasure and pain which escaped Harry. He moved back a bit, breathing as though he ran a marathon, and rested his forehead against Harry's. The Wizard's fingers dug into the tender skin behind Bruce's ears, and he shivered under the older man while his body adjusted to Bruce's hard member.

"Damn it, Harry-…"

"Hush!" the younger man breathed out and opened his glimmering eyes to look up at Bruce. "Hush; its okay. I'm fine. I'm alright." He murmured hurriedly as he caressed Bruce's cheeks with his thumbs.

Bruce dared not move. He knew that if he did, he would come almost immediately. Harry was tight and warm, and – _God_, why the _hell_ did he run away?!

He grunted and bowed his head when Harry rolled his hips tentatively, and a breathless gasp escaped his swollen lips when his prostate was hit.

"Please, Bruce, move! I need you – I need you to move, _please_!" said man let go of a choked up grunt and slowly pulled out. Harry wrapped his arms around Bruce's shoulders and buried his face in Bruce's neck while the older, stronger man rested his whole weight on his left elbow and took a firm hold of Harry's left thigh with his right hand. He pulled out of Harry slowly, and keeping a tight control over his body set up a slow pace. He tried to concentrate on breathing and moving steadily, but every breathless gasp and choked up moan which flowed off of Harry's lips tested Bruce's control.

He cursed under his breathed and rested his forehead against Harry's as the pace grew quicker. He could feel the tight channel around him growing tighter as Harry whimpered and his fingers dug into the firm muscles of Bruce's shoulders.

He squeezed his eyes tightly shut when Harry came, the already impossibly tight heat around Bruce's member tightening even more, and with a few frantic thrusts, Bruce followed Harry over the edge with a growl. The Hulk roared in his mind, and every single hair on Bruce's body stood up. He opened his eyes and looked down in time to see Harry's own eyes open. He winced when he saw a few beads of blood in the corner of Harry's lips, but the warmth and love in Harry's tired emerald orbs told him that the younger man was fine.

"Thank you, Bruce." Harry whispered and Bruce frowned in confusion. "Thank you for coming back – for coming back to me." He swallowed, not knowing what to say to that, so he simply leaned in and kissed his lover lovingly.

_Never again_, he thought with an aching heart. _I'm never leaving him alone again._

* * *

_The story of my life – I take her home,  
I drive all night to keep her warm and time  
is frozen._

* * *

Bruce slowly pulled out of Harry and laid down to his left. He shivered when a wave of magic passed over them both, cleaning the proof of their actions, and he wrapped his arms around Harry, pulling him against his chest.

Harry tucked his head under Bruce's chin, and with his left arm trapped between them, he placed his right hand on Bruce's chest, right over his strongly beating heart.

He let go of a content sigh and Bruce kissed the top of his head. He hugged Harry as tightly as he dared, careful of Harry's wounds and closed his eyes, soaking in the warmth of the early morning sun breaking through the roof-windows.

"I want to go with you." His eyes opened and he frowned when Harry murmured, and the Wizard moved back a bit to look in Bruce's eyes. "Wherever you go; I want to go with you." The Avenger raised his left hand and gently caressed Harry's right cheek with the back of his fingers.

"You'll quit the Auror force?" Harry nodded and a small, sad smile stretched his lips.

"I have no one but Draco here, and I can see him whenever I want. It's you I want to be with." Bruce nodded and moved forward to kiss Harry lovingly. Harry sighed into the kiss happily, and once they parted he tucked his head under Bruce's chin again and closed his eyes.

Bruce smiled and hugged Harry to his chest.

For three years he missed out on holding the younger man; on loving him and simply being with him.

But no more; now that he had him he wouldn't let go.

He will never let go of him again.

* * *

Bruce raised an eyebrow at a young Auror that stared at him with a confused frown from the other side of the hallway. Bruce was leaning back against the wall with the door to Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt's office to his right.

He walked into the Ministry of Magic with Harry almost an hour ago, and ever since then various people kept staring at him either in confusion or with weariness and caution written all over their faces.

"Bruce Banner." He looked to the side and raised an eyebrow when he found Draco Malfoy standing a few feet away from him with his hands in the pockets of his jeans and a smirk on his face. "Merlin, be damned; so you finally decided to pull your head out of your bloody ass."

"Malfoy." He nodded carefully at Draco and the Auror chuckled at him. He walked over to Bruce and offered his right hand to him. Bruce accepted it after he pushed himself away from the wall, and Draco's smirk grew.

"Are you here to take him away?" he asked once he let go of Bruce's hand, and the older man crossed his arms over his chest.

"We talked. He wants to leave." He said and Draco nodded.

"It's been bloody time." He murmured as he pushed his right hand back into the pocket of his jeans and shot a glare at everyone who's been staring at them, gaping because they never saw Bruce before and because Draco seemed to be friendly with him enough to greet him and talk to him. They scurried away hurriedly and Draco chuckled before he looked at Bruce again, and his expression turned cold. "You don't intend to leave him again, do you? Because if you do-…"

"I won't." Bruce interrupted him and Draco's right eyebrow jumped up a bit. "I was an idiot. I'm taking him with me and I'm not leaving him again; ever again." Draco nodded, and Bruce heard Hulk rumble lowly in the back of his mind. Draco must have found what he was looking for in Bruce's eyes, because in the next moment he smiled and his shoulders relaxed.

"Just make sure he never comes back here. These bloody idiots don't deserve his sympathy, let alone his efforts in keeping them safe." Bruce nodded, and in that moment the door behind them opened and Harry walked out with his head bowed and shoulders hunched. He closed the door behind himself and looked up only to halt mid-step and gape.

"Draco? I thought it was your day off!" he hurried to hug the other Auror and Draco chuckled as he pulled Harry to his chest.

"I had to come. Pansy saw you two when you came and she sent me a message because according to her you looked 'as though Voldemort has risen again and you're marching into battle'; end paraphrase." Harry chuckled as they parted and he moved over to stand beside Bruce.

"I suppose Bruce already told you that I'm leaving." He said and Draco nodded.

"I take Kingsley didn't take it well." He stated and Harry sighed.

"No, but it's not like he can do anything about it. Even though my reputation isn't the shiniest, the Wizarding world would have his head if he sent Aurors after me. And besides, I'm leaving Britain. At least I'll be out of their hair." Draco snorted and shook his head.

"Ungrateful bastards." He bit out and Harry chuckled.

The left corner of Draco's lips twitched as he took a good look at Harry. He stood straighter and his shoulders weren't as tense as they were a few days back. Being with Bruce was obviously good for Harry. Bruce, while not much taller than Harry, was a bit stronger when it came to build. He had the mind of a scientist and the stance of a fighter, and he radiated an aura which obviously set a lot of people off, since everyone who walked down the hallway they were in cast Bruce glances full of suspicion and weariness. In their eyes, anyone who stood with Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter and seemed to be at ease with them was not someone to be trifled with.

"Be careful; both of you. And send me a message once you've settled. I want to make sure Potter doesn't kill himself." He drawled and Harry chuckled while Bruce wrapped his left arm around Harry's waist.

"We'll be expecting you." Bruce said and Draco nodded at him with a clear warning in his eyes. Harry sighed and shook his head with an expression of exasperated fondness on his face.

"Stay safe, Draco. I'll see you soon." Harry said and Draco nodded while Harry leaned on Bruce and placed his left hand on Bruce's chest. He winked at Draco and a moment later, with a loud 'pop', he and Bruce disapparated straight out of the Ministry of Magic. The people that were still around gaped, and Draco couldn't help but laugh.

Well, if nothing else, Harry knew how to disappear with a bang.

* * *

Bruce's stomach lurched and he choked up after the world stopped spinning, and he looked up only to find Harry looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry; Disapparation isn't the most comfortable way to travel." He said and Bruce shook his head before he smiled at Harry and pecked his lips. He looked around and his eyebrows rose when he realized they were standing in Tony Stark's office at the top of the newly built AvengersTower.

"You didn't miss." Harry chuckled at his words and pulled away from Bruce to look around.

"You say that as though there was any doubt." He drawled and Bruce chuckled as he brushed the fingers of his right hand through his hair. Harry looked around the office and hummed. "Do you think they know we're coming?"

"I sent Tony an e-mail explaining everything to him. They know we're coming, but I don't think they know we're already here." Harry turned around to look at Bruce, and the Gamma-scientist gulped, shivered and his member twitched when Harry smirked at him and his eyes filled with mischief.

"Harry?" he took a weary step back when Harry took a step towards him.

"What?" he asked innocently and Bruce swallowed with slight difficulties. Hulk rumbled in amusement in the back of his mind, his heart started picking up speed and he was sure all the blood in his body quite suddenly rushed to his dick, and a second later he fell back on the comfortable leather couch Tony had in his office.

"Harry, what are you doing?" he asked in a wavering, strained voice while Harry straddled him and ground down against his awakening erection. He placed his hands on Bruce's chest and rubbed it before he dragged his hands up and entwined his fingers behind Bruce's neck, cupping it between his hands. He leaned in to tease Bruce's lips into a kiss with licks and nips, and Bruce grabbed a hold of Harry's hips as the younger man kissed the living daylights out of him.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"It looks like you're trying to have _sex_ in _my office_." Harry all but jumped off of Bruce, and the Gamma-scientist hurried to get on his feet, and both turned to look at the entrance where Tony Stark stood with his arms crossed over his chest, eyebrows raised and lips pursed. "Bruce, old man, when you said you were _coming_, I most certainly wasn't expecting you to come so soon and _definitely_ not in that way." While Bruce blushed furiously and spluttered for an answer Harry snickered and pushed his hands in the pockets of his dark green hoody.

He and Tony took the first step at the same time and met right in front of the bar, and Harry offered his hand to Tony who accepted it without a thought.

"Harry Potter; I take Bruce explained everything to you." Tony chuckled and made his way around the bar after he let go of Harry's hand.

"Sure did, Merlin 2.0." Harry rolled his eyes and chuckled, while Bruce made his way over to stand beside Harry, still, quite unsuccessfully might I ad, trying to fight off the blush which was covering his cheeks. "Drink?"

"Sure." Harry answered and took a seat in a bar-stool.

"Where's everyone else?" Bruce asked and cleared his throat after his voice came out strained. Tony shot him a knowing smirk while Harry snickered.

"They're on their way here. Pepper is handling the final legal things for the Tower, and Fury will be here in a few days to brief as all in. I have to say he sounded quite excited." He said and shot Harry a pointed glance as he handed him a glass of whiskey. "But if half of what I've read about you is true, then I might have an idea why." Harry chuckled and toasted Tony while he winked at Bruce.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out." Tony hummed and his eyes glimmered and Bruce took a deep breath, all but drinking his drink in one go.

Somehow he had a feeling life wouldn't be boring with Harry and Tony around. Their personalities while very different also had several meeting points, and mischievousness was just one of their common characteristics.

_Life will never be boring,_ Bruce thought with a small sigh.

"I am guessing that another room won't be needed." Tony said and Bruce choked on a sip of whiskey while Harry grinned at him.

"No, it won't be needed. I'll just have to ask you to allow me to adjust one of your training rooms to my needs."

"Will be done." Tony said and Harry nodded gratefully. "Anything else?"

"I'll tell you when I think of it." Harry said and Tony nodded.

"So, Green! Why didn't you tell me you swung that way!" Bruce snorted while Harry laughed with his head thrown back and Tony blinked innocently at Bruce while he coughed.

"That was uncalled for." He gasped out and Tony raised his eyebrows at him.

"I thought we were friends! Friends tell each other such things!"

"Well, I'm sorry for not telling you that I'm bisexual somewhere in between fighting never-ending forces of Chitauri and hauling Loki's ass back to Asgard!"

"Well you better be sorry! Honestly, most of you people act like I can't be trusted with such things! If I knew you were interested in men as well, I would have hired a male prostitute for the bachelor's party this Sunday!"

"Tony!" while Bruce snapped in indignation Harry just laughed harder and Tony continued smiling innocently at Bruce. The Gamma-scientist sighed and shook his head in resignation, and Harry finally stopped laughing as he raised his right hand and wiped the tears of mirth from his eyes.

"Bruce, you didn't tell me Tony was a comedian."

"Oh, yes; he's a regular Gabriel Iglesias." He murmured and while Harry laughed again Tony hummed and took a sip of his drink.

"Oh, I don't know; I think I'm more like George Carlin, God bless his soul."

"George Carlin?" Harry leaned closer in interest and Tony gasped.

"My dear man, under which rock did you live?" he asked cuttingly with feigned worry written all over his face. "This is completely unacceptable. Jarvis! Prepare the entertainment room!"

*As you wish, sir.* Harry hopped off of his chair in excitement and followed after Tony while Bruce sighed and walked after them with a resigned air around him.

_Well, at least I won't get bored_, he thought and followed Harry and Tony into an elevator. He looked at Harry who stared at Tony with apt attention, soaking in Tony's masterful enactments of George Carlin's stand-up comedy shows. A small smile tugged on his lips when he saw the happy glimmer in Harry's eyes.

He knew the others would accept Harry just like Tony did. He knew he and Harry would be happy there; away from the Wizarding world, away from everything that weighted Harry down.

The younger man already looked better.

Bruce smiled and nodded for himself.

Yes, everything would be alright now.

"Oh, Bruce; I've been meaning to ask! Since you go all green and huge when your heartbeat picks up speed, does it also happen during sex? Will I need to buy a metal bed for you and Harry?"

"TONY!"

* * *

_The story of my life._

* * *

**I hope you liked it!**

**If anyone has any requests I'll be glad to hear you out!**


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter on the requests of: **Astiar, belle hawk, cilia-chan, Dalnim, eveemars87, FlopsyTheStingyDingo, Foxy-Floof, gojyo-lover20, Haunt of twilight, KlaineDrarryMerthur and Nataly S. Potter.**

**I want to thank you all for your lovely reviews! You are the greatest inspiration a writer can wish for!**

* * *

Natasha Romanoff walked into the kitchen of the AvengersTower with eyes still half closed, arms hanging limply by her sides, and shoulders hunched. It was not an unusual sight to see her in such a condition. Contrary to what one might think, she was nowhere near a morning person, and there was only one thing that could wake her up and make her sleepy brain change gears. That one thing almost _mysteriously_ appeared right in front of her the moment she took a seat at the kitchen isle, and without even thinking about it, she exed the coffee mixed with cream, two tea-spoons of brown sugar and a table-spoon of good old scotch with just a bit of almond-extract.

When her nose was tickled by another delicious scent, she opened her bleary eyes and found a plate of scrambled eggs with two greasy sausages and two slices of home made toast just _waiting_ for her to dig in. She moaned around the first bite and took a sip of her morning poison from the cup which _miraculously_ filled itself.

"Morning, Harry." She greeted her _miracle_ the moment she could form a coherent thought. He chuckled as he took a seat in front of her and gifted her with a small smile and an amused wink as he took a sip of his Earl Gray.

"You've woken up sooner than it's usual for you." He jested lightly and the corners of Natasha's lips tilted into a small smile as she chewed another bite of the deliciously prepared breakfast.

"I still have no idea how you figured this out." She mumbled and Harry snickered, hiding his grin behind his cup.

"A magician never reveals his secrets, Tasha. Now, I suggest you finish that before the others come tumbling down. This peace won't last for much longer." Natasha rolled her eyes and straightened in her seat to finish her breakfast in peace. While she _did_ rise up from her comfortable, warm bed before everyone else with the exception of Harry, she was far from being a morning person, but thanks to their personal, practically self-appointed caretaker, she now had a way to truly wake up before anyone figured out the little _problem_ she had.

"Thank you for breakfast, Harry." She said as she stood up to put the dishes into the sink.

"You know that it's not a problem. I like cooking for everyone. At least nothing goes to waste." Harry answered as he stood up as well and made his way to prepare breakfast for the others. Natasha smiled and leaned against a kitchen cabinet with her arms crossed over her chest. She knew better than to offer to help.

It has been 6 months since Harry started living with them, and in 6 months the dynamics of the Avengers changed completely. It was amazing what the presence of the Wizard did to them. It was like they needed just one more person to unite them completely.

Of course, when she first looked at him, she couldn't even imagine he would have such an effect on them. The only thing she could see at that time was the way Bruce acted around Harry; how relaxed, happy and at peace he was. She couldn't see what it was about Harry that made Bruce like that, and she prided herself in being able to see what made people tick.

Harry was an unknown component, and she was uneasy with him around. She did her research, of course. Within 36 hours she knew exactly who he was and where he came from. After finding that out, everything made even less sense.

How could a man who practically single-handedly saved the world, who fought and all but died for the world be so calm, loving and giving. She couldn't connect the war-veteran she read about, the Agent she heard about, with the man who so tenaciously cared about all of them without even knowing them. She couldn't make the connection between the soldier and the man who meditated with Bruce, joked with Tony, practiced with Clint, showed Steve around the modern world, spoke with Thor about numerous things and prepared her favorite drink without so much as a word of complaint. Even Pepper accepted him right off the bat. Natasha saw them often enough sitting in the tea-room talking over a good cup of tea. Pepper seemed calmer and more accepting of a lot of things, and her relationship with Tony changed drastically.

In the end Natasha realized that there was no avoiding the fact that Harry infiltrated their hearts with his easy, caring smiles, comforting, reassuring and encouraging words and touches, and his calm nature. Of course, his mischievousness was on par with Tony's which everyone experienced at one point. Before she realized it, Harry became someone she could count on. She came to appreciate the way he woke up early just to make sure she had her cup of coffee and breakfast in peace. She came to count on him to be there to sit and talk to if she came to a stand-still in research for her missions. He always said that he had no idea how she did it, but never the less, talking with him always brought her to a breakthrough.

While he declined to be an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. they all thought of him as their Phantom 7th man; the counselor. He always knew what to say to make them either feel better about something, or help them find a solution to the problem they had.

Without any doubt, Natasha could say that Harry became the Heart of the Avengers, and she knew that not one of them would have it any other way.

* * *

"I don't get this." Steve sighed mournfully.

"What is it?" he looked over his shoulder and his expression brightened almost immediately.

"Harry! I didn't hear you come in." He fiddled with the holo-remote for a moment to pause the movie he was watching while Harry entered the entertainment room with a small smile full of fondness on his face. He took a seat beside Steve and looked at the huge home entertainment center in front of them.

"What were you watching before I interrupted you?" he asked and Steve groaned.

"Tony _insisted_ that I had to watch _Star Wars_. He said it was common knowledge." Harry chuckled and shook his head.

"Sure, the _Star Wars_ series _is_ a cult series, but it's not of life importance." He drawled but his smirk turned into a pitying smile when Steve looked at him pleadingly. "Alright, what don't you get?" he asked and Steve smiled at him brightly.

"Well, you see, I told Jarvis to play the movies in the order they were filmed-…"

"And there's your mistake." Harry interrupted him and Steve frowned in confusion. "While the movies aren't hard to understand, the first movie that was filmed can leave you with a bit of confusion. It's best if you watch from the first to the last one."

"And which _is_ the first one?" desperation colored Steve's voice and Harry laughed at him merrily.

"I hadn't watched the movies for a while." He said as he settled more comfortably, hugging a pillow he found on the couch to his chest and tucking his legs under his thighs. "How about we watch them together." He suggested and Steve grinned, nodding enthusiastically. "Alright then; Jarvis, please save this movie for later and start playing _Star Wars, the Phantom Menace_."

*As you wish, sir." Steve crossed his legs and grabbed the bowl of popcorn he prepared earlier, offering it to Harry. As the introduction started to roll, he placed the bowl into his lap, threw his left arm over Harry's shoulders and relaxed. Harry chuckled and settled comfortably against Steve, getting himself ready for a long afternoon.

They were in the middle of _Attack of the Clones_ when Steve felt Harry relax against him and looked down at him. His raven black hair which now fell to his chin covered his eyes, but Steve could see that Harry was fast asleep. The Wizard's breathing was slow and deep, but even in his sleep he was hugging the pillow tightly to his chest. A small, gentle smile tugged on Steve's lips and, careful not to wake Harry, he pulled on the blanket they kept on the couch and covered Harry with it to the best of his abilities. Harry sighed in content and nuzzled closer to the blond Avenger.

Steve sighed and carefully hugged Harry closer.

When he first met the Wizard, he couldn't help but feel like the smaller man was someone he needed to protect. He was shorter than Steve and while he did prove on a later occasion that he was in fact more powerful than all the Avengers put together, Steve could see in his eyes that he was tired of fighting. Steve prided himself in being able to read people, although he hardly ever showed it, but he could see the goodness in Harry. The Wizard took care of all of them right from the start, but Steve could see that he wasn't someone who let people in easily. When he first started living with them, Bruce was the only one who could touch him without Harry hiding a wince. While he did talk to all of them and he hung out with them, Steve could see that Harry was holding himself back; as though he was afraid that if he let them close, he would lose them to something.

He was an enigma to Steve, a living paradox, but with time they found a way into Harry's heart. Steve was somehow proud to say that he was the first one Harry relaxed around completely.

Natasha and Clint were somewhere in Europe at that time, taking care of some business for S.H.I.E.L.D., Bruce was away in Cambodia with Fury, researching something or another, Pepper and Tony were on a summit in Los Angeles, and Thor had to return to Asgard for a celebration of his Father's birthday, which left him and Harry alone at the Tower. Steve was just on his way from the kitchen when he walked into this same room and found Harry asleep on the couch. The Wizard was whimpering, twisting and turning in the throes of a nightmare, apparently unable to wake up.

Not knowing what else to do, Steve set out to wake him up. He _did_ sport a pretty big bump on his head for quite a while after Harry's magic lashed out on him, but once Harry calmed down and made sure that the hit Steve received to his head wouldn't have lasting consequences, they sat down and talked.

Hours passed in which Harry told Steve about his childhood and his life in the Wizarding world. He told him of his fight with Voldemort, of all the people he lost and all the people that abandoned him because they either feared his power or they simply couldn't stand the price of being the friends of Harry Potter.

Steve also shared his story with Harry, feeling compelled to do so, and late into the night, with quite a bit of alcohol in their system, the two bonded as friends. It was on that night that Steve decided to protect Harry to the best of his abilities. In a few short months he came to think of Harry as the little brother he never had, and he could see that Harry cared about him just as much. The emerald-eyed Wizard had a heart of gold and so much patience that it gave Pepper a run for her money (working with Tony Stark on a daily basis required a _colossal_ amount of patience and tolerance, after all), and while he refused to fight for S.H.I.E.L.D. Steve knew that Harry would be there if the Avengers ever needed him.

He was their Phantom 7th man after all, the _soul_ of the Avengers; the quiet shadow that supported them and gave them security and strength, and in exchange they gave Harry the safety and peace he always desired.

* * *

"You didn't have to do this, Harry."

"Nonsense, Pepper!" the Wizard chuckled as he waved his wand and finished setting up the conference room. "Tony, despite all his smarts, has no taste whatsoever, and Tasha is researching something with Clint. Besides, if you're done sooner the two of us will have a chance to take a walk over to the newly opened Café two streets down. I hear they have _excellent_ chestnut cheesecakes there." Pepper's eyes glimmered at the mere _thought _of her favorite treat and her mouth watered. Harry snickered at the dreamy expression on Pepper's face. "Are we done here?" he asked and Pepper jumped in her place.

"Yes, yes; the caterers should arrive right before the conference. We're done here!" she gathered her purse and jacket quickly and looked at Harry with wide eyes full of excitement. He chuckled and nodded at her as he walked over to the chair he hung his jacket on and nodded his head towards the exit.

"Come on, then; it's my treat." She rushed over to his side, wrapped her hands around his offered left forearm and allowed him to lead her out of the conference room and into the elevator.

"So, tell me, Harry; how are things between you and Bruce?" she asked and Harry smiled at her. The elevator was slowly taking them down to the entrance hall, and the comfortable piano music playing from the speakers echoed around them.

"Everything's great. He's supposed to come back from the scientists fair in a few days, and he's been hinting on taking me somewhere once he's back. I'm not sure _where_ exactly, but knowing Bruce it will be someplace beautiful." He said and Pepper nodded. They stepped out of the elevator and waved at Happy before they walked out of the Tower and onto the busy streets of New York City.

"Can't you guess?" Pepper asked and Harry shot her a pointed glance.

"It's Bruce we're talking about, right? If he decided to keep something secret, not even _I_ can make him talk." Pepper shook her head with a small smile and simply leaned against Harry's side, taking a firmer hold of his forearm with her hands.

"I'm sure it will be beautiful." Harry chuckled and nodded.

"And here we are." He said and opened the door of the newly opened Café, leading Pepper in. They took a seat at the front by the window in two very comfortable armchairs. Pepper sighed happily and Harry smiled as he watched her breathe deeply. The air was heavy with the scents of different sweet treats mixing with the tender aroma of coffee and tea.

"It's quite nice here, isn't it?" Pepper asked and Harry nodded.

"I could see myself come here more often." He agreed and she smiled at him brightly.

"Good day." An elderly woman walked over to them with her long gray hair falling over her shoulder in a loose braid, and her kind, light blue eyes gazing at them with warm welcome. "Welcome to my Café. What can I bring you?"

"I would like to have a cup of Earl Gray if it is possible and if you maybe have some Chestnut Cheesecake, it would be great." Harry said and the elderly woman smiled at him warmly.

"I would like to have the same." Pepper said.

"I will be back right away." She walked away and Pepper looked at Harry.

"She must be the owner." She said and Harry nodded. He took a deep breath and relaxed in his seat making Pepper frown a little when he closed his eyes and tilted his head back. Now that she had time to take a closer look at him, he seemed somehow _tired_. It couldn't be seen if one wasn't looking closely, but Pepper was by now a _master_ at detecting small things; devil's in the details and all that shebang.

Harry was tired. It could be seen in the slight downwards turn of his lips, the subtle stiffness in his shoulders and the hardly visible line between his eyebrows.

"Harry, when was the last time you slept properly?" his eyes opened as he visibly tensed up and Pepper raised an eyebrow at him.

"Here you go, darlings. I hope it will be to your liking." The woman left their order on the table and walked away after Harry and Pepper thanked her.

"Harry?" the Wizard sighed and sat up to take his cup into his hands. He cupped them around the pure white porcelain and Pepper tilted her head to the side lightly in expectation.

"I hadn't had a good night of rest since Bruce left for the summit." He confessed and Pepper sighed.

"Harry, I know it's only been 6 months, but don't you think that by now I – _we_ managed to prove that you could come to any one of us?" she asked and Harry sighed gravely.

"I know that, Pepper, and believe me, I would come to you and the others if there was a way for you to help me, but you _can't_. This is something that will only pass with time." He said and Pepper frowned at him. "I know that I told Bruce to go without me so that I could stay behind and help you get everything ready for your conference, but it doesn't make being apart from him for more than just a few days any easier. I will be fine when he comes back, I promise." He said and gifted Pepper with the smallest smile she has ever seen, but his eyes glimmered with an honest promise.

"Are you sure it's that?" she asked and Harry frowned.

"What do you mean?" he asked and Pepper took a deep breath to buy herself enough time to gather her thoughts.

"You've been quiet for the past two days." She said and shrugged her right shoulder. "Since Bruce's been gone for a week now, I thought it was that, but I've caught you staring out the window last night. You didn't look lonely to me, Harry." She looked into his eyes and Harry licked his lips as he looked down into his cup. "You looked sad." He swallowed and Pepper leaned forward a bit.

"In two weeks it will be the anniversary of my parents' deaths." He spoke in a voice that was barely above a whisper and Pepper felt as though someone threw a bucket of cold water in her face.

How could she have forgotten about that? She read Harry's file just like all the others. Harry himself told her when the anniversary of their deaths was a few days before the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. She should have remembered it!

"In all honestly I almost forgot about it." She looked at him in shock and found him smiling sadly at his cup as he rotated it lightly between his hands watching the dark, see-through liquid swishing in circles around the inside of the cup. "Two days ago I saw the date and remembered. Somehow, I feel guilty." He admitted and Pepper sighed.

"Why would you feel guilty? Don't you think your parents want you to be happy?" she asked and Harry nodded.

"I know they do, it's just-…" he licked his lips and looked out the window. "I never forgot before." Pepper smiled a small smile and leaned over the table to place her right hand on Harry's left wrist. He looked at her and his lips parted a bit when he saw her loving, tender expression.

"That means that you're healing, Harry. It means that you're finally putting the past behind yourself." She said. "And I'm sure that your parents are very proud of you for doing that. I'm sure that they want you to be happy, and not dwell on everything you lost, but be happy with everything you've gained. You have Bruce and I know for a fact that he loves you more than anything. You have Tony and me, Clint and Tasha, and you have Steve and Thor as well. And that friend of yours from Britain, Draco Malfoy? I don't think he'd appreciate you going all depressive on us like this." Harry chuckled and shook his head.

"He'd make me a new one." He murmured and Pepper laughed lightly.

"See? No one wants you to suffer like this. You will never forget your parents. You will never forget the people you've lost. But don't let the memory of them cloud your sight of things that you have, of people who are with you and who love you." The corners of Harry's lips turned up a bit and he nodded.

"Thank you, Pepper." He said and she nodded before she looked down at the cake sitting innocently on the table.

"Now, let's see if this is as good as people say it is." She took the plate into her left hand and took a hold of the small fork with her right. Harry chuckled as he copied her. Pepper moaned happily and Harry had to agree with her – the chestnut cheesecake was truly really good.

* * *

"Hey, Tim the Enchanter! Wake up!" the Wizard startled awake and looked around in shock only to find none other than Tony Stark smirking down at him from where he was perched on the backrest of the couch Harry fell asleep on.

"Tony? What time is it?" he asked as he detangled himself from the blanket he wrapped himself in the keep himself warm. Because of the many machines in the entertainment room, the temperature was kept lower than Harry found comfortable, so there were always some blankets lying around for him.

"It's time for all the good children to go to bed." Tony drawled and pushed himself back. He rounded the couch just as Harry got up, and to his surprise Tony wrapped his right arm around Harry's shoulders and started to lead him out of the room and towards the elevator that would take them to one of the apartment floors.

"Tony, what are you doing?" Harry asked wearily and Tony chuckled pulling him as close as he could go. Harry could feel the warmth of Tony's reactor against his shoulder, and the man's almost metallic scent tickled his nose.

"Making sure you actually go to bed." He said as they waited for the elevator. Harry took a deep breath and let it out through his nose as amusement and fondness tugged his lips into a small smile.

"Pepper talked to you?"

"Yep."

"Thought so." The door opened and they stepped inside. Harry was about to pull away, but Tony just tightened his hold on him. After a moment Harry just sighed and relaxed against him, resting his head on Tony's strong shoulder. The other man smiled lightly and shook his head.

"Don't go falling asleep on me, Fairy Godmother. Just a few more minutes and you'll be in your warm bed." Harry snorted at Tony's dry tone and forced himself to open his eyes.

"You mean my cold, _empty_ bed." He grumbled, but since his head was still resting on Tony's shoulder he missed the worried frown which marred the joker's handsome features. He hummed and looked at the door when they opened. He led Harry out of the elevator and towards the apartment he and Bruce shared, keeping a gentle but firm hold on the tired Wizard. They entered the apartment and Tony took Harry to the bedroom. He sat Harry down on the bed before he made his way over to the windows and pulled the drapes together making sure that Harry wouldn't be woken up by the harsh, unforgiving light of the Sun in the morning. When he was done he turned around and found Harry still sitting on the bed. He managed to toe off his shoes and take his hoody off, but he seemed unable to move further than that.

Tony tsked and shook his head. He walked over to kneel in front of Harry and looked up at him.

"Come on, Harry. To bed with you." He murmured and Harry looked at him tiredly.

"Would you mind staying; at least until I fall asleep?" he mumbled, barely coherent, and Tony took a deep breath.

"Come on." He stood up and gently pushed Harry down on the bed. He took a seat at the head of the bed, leaning back against the wall, and Harry rested his head on Tony's right thigh. Tony smiled a small smile and leaned over to just throw the covers over Harry not bothering to tug the part Harry lied on from under him. He leaned back and placed his right hand on Harry's head, reflexively starting to brush his fingers through Harry's raven, silky locks. He listened as the Wizard's breathing evened out, and took a deep breath as he rested his head back against the wall with his eyes slipping closed.

Three light knocks made him open his eyes and he looked over to the door. Due to the weak light shining in the hallway, he managed to see Pepper peeking into the room.

"Is he sleeping?" she asked as she padded over to them.

"Like a log." Tony whispered and she smiled at him. She went back to close the door only to walk over to the bed and take a seat on it behind Harry, leaning her left shoulder against Tony's.

"He really misses Bruce." She murmured into Tony's ear and he nodded.

"When it comes to admitting his emotions he's worse than all of us put together." Tony commented dryly and Pepper stifled her laughter.

"I think he's getting better." She countered and Tony snorted.

"He still has a ways to go." He answered making Pepper nod in agreement. She rested her head on Tony's shoulder and smiled when he rested his head on hers.

"We all do."

* * *

"Good morning, Harry; I thought you were still asleep!" the Wizard stood in the doorway of the kitchen with eyes wide and lips parted in shock. Everyone was there except Bruce and there were all sorts of drinks and dishes on the table. The air smelled of cinnamon-pecan buns, French breakfast puffs, chocolate chip muffins, scrambled eggs, French toast and still warm chocolate cream. The sharp aroma of Citrus Lady Gray floated in the air mixing with the bitter-sweet bouquet of fresh coffee. "Come on in. I was just about to go and wake you up since we made everything ready." Pepper walked over to him and tugged on his right arm.

"What is all of this?" Harry asked as Pepper pushed him into a bar-stool while the others joined him around the kitchen isle. "Who made these?" he looked around and the Avengers exchanged amused smiles.

"Well, since not _one_ of us can actually _cook_, Pepper sent Steve, Clint and me to that Café the two of you visited the day before yesterday. Amanda, the owner of the Café was kind enough to sell us the pastries." Natasha explained. Judging by her still bleary eyes, she had yet to wake up fully. Clint, who was sitting right beside her, didn't look much better, but unlike Natasha he could at least sit up straight.

"While they went to the Café Tony, Thor and I decided to brave the kitchen to make the eggs and the French bread. With Jarvis' strict instructions, I don't think we messed up _horribly_." Pepper added.

"And we finally put the coffee-machine to good use!" Tony spoke as he puffed up his chest proudly.

"The Man of Iron almost set it on fire, though." Thor said with a grin.

"Hey, _you_ almost burned water for the tea, Drape-Guy!" Tony snapped, but before Thor could retaliate Harry burst into laughter and everyone looked at him.

"I'm sorry you had to go through such lengths just to prepare breakfast!" he said as he wiped tears of mirth from his eyes.

"Well, you go through _bigger_ lengths every morning to prepare breakfast for all of us. It was time we returned the favor." Clint commented and Harry chuckled.

"Thank you, everyone. This is _amazing_." He said as he looked over the table, trying to decide what to take first.

"Harry?" he looked at Natasha and his eyes widened when he saw her looking at him with big, pleading eyes. "Please?" a moment later he shook his head with a big, bright smile and stood up. They watched him dance around the kitchen for a few minutes, but soon enough he turned around and placed a cup of something that smelled absolutely delicious in front of Natasha.

"What is that?" Steve leaned forward in interest.

"My special 'wake Tasha up' potion." Harry said as he took a seat while the others stared at Black Widow in complete shock as she all but inhaled her drink. Within a second she straightened, with her eyes regaining that undisputed gleam of danger and intelligence they always carried. "Now, to dig in." The Avengers exchanged amused glances and followed Harry's example of filling their plates with the delicious breakfast just waiting to be eaten.

As easy chatter filled the kitchen Harry took a moment to look around himself.

It seemed so long ago that he thought he would never have this – this sense of belonging; of familiarity and safety. But surrounded with these people which a little over 6 months ago were complete strangers to him, he finally started to believe that he finally had what he dreamed of for years. The only person missing was Bruce, but he would be there soon.

With a small smile Harry went back to his breakfast, unaware of 6 pairs of eyes glancing at him with contentment shining in them.

He was one of them, and even though when the Avengers were formed they never thought it would come to this, they were content and happy. They finally had their place in the world, and there was nothing they could or wanted to complain about.

* * *

"Bruce, you're back!" said man smiled lovingly when Harry called out to him.

He stood in the doorway leading to the entertainment room and found Thor, Tony, Steve and Clint locked in a fierce battle on Tony's PS3 while Natasha, Pepper and Harry sat in their respective armchairs be the big window, soaking in the warmth of the sun with books in their hands. Harry was the first to notice him, and the Wizard jumped to his feet and ran over to Bruce to envelop him into a warm, loving hug which told Bruce without any need for words just how much Harry missed him.

To his surprise, though, Harry looked exceptionally well. There were no circles under his eyes and he looked neither tired nor drained.

"I'm back." He said as he looked at Harry. Tony and the others stopped their game and everyone gathered around them to greet Bruce.

"How was the summit, old man?" Tony asked while they made their way over to the huge couch.

"You know how it was: one seminar after another accompanied by dull, exhausting discussions with a bunch of old people. Honestly, I don't know why I went." Bruce commented dryly and Harry chuckled. "I was supposed to stay for two more days, but I just couldn't handle it anymore."

"It seems you held on for long enough." Natasha drawled teasingly and Bruce sighed.

"Trust me, for the past three days I've been considering ditching it all, but since I had two more lectures to hold yesterday, I decided to stay. I didn't know that being admitted back into the scientist circles would be so taxing on my patience."

"I hope you didn't go Green on them." Tony drawled.

"I was tempted more then once." Bruce answered equally and everyone laughed at him.

"Did you at least learn something new?" Harry asked and Bruce shook his head.

"Nothing that I didn't know already. I have to say; even the professors I looked up to when I was a student didn't have anything new to offer to me."

"You win some you lose some, as people say." Steve commented and Bruce nodded.

"If you guys will excuse me, I really want to take a shower and get some rest." He said as he slowly stood up and Harry followed after him. "I'll see you all tomorrow." Harry waved at everyone as he followed after Bruce. The moment they were in the elevator Harry lost his breath because Bruce turned to him, grabbed his face between his hands and pulled him into a soul-searing kiss.

Harry could do nothing but moan and hold on to Bruce's shoulders with his hands fisted in the firm material of his suit jacket as Bruce kissed the breath out of him.

"I missed you. You have no idea how much I missed you." Bruce blurted out against Harry's lips as he pushed him into the wall of the elevator. His usually brown eyes were adopting a green tinge and Harry felt warmth pool in the pit of his stomach as Bruce started to bite and kiss down his chin and neck.

"Missed you too." He mumbled incoherently as his knees decided to give up on him, and Bruce seized the opportunity to grab Harry's hips with his big, warm hands and hoist him up, wrapping them around his waist as he latched his teeth on Harry's collarbone, revealed to his hungry lips when Harry's big t-shirt slid lower on his shoulder.

Bruce didn't take a moment to think that the shirt Harry was wearing was actually his. The only thought in his mind was the fact that Harry was back in his arms.

"Next time I'm going to something like this, you're going with me. Pepper can forget about hogging you for more than a day ever again." A breathless laugh left Harry's lips only to turn into a yelp when the door of the elevator opened and Bruce took a hold of his thighs to carry him out of the elevator.

Not really caring about anything, Harry took a firm hold of Bruce's head and pulled him into a scorching kiss. They stumbled down the hallway and Bruce somehow managed to open the door of their apartment. Before long, he and Harry were on the bed with the Wizard under him, his amazing emerald eyes staring at him with dilated pupils and a furious blush spreading over his cheeks and down his neck. He leaned over him with his hands on either side of Harry's head and looked at him. His heart was beating loudly in his ears; his blood was burning fire in his veins and warmth such as he felt only when he was with his Wizard enveloped his whole body in its searing embrace.

"Bruce?" the Gamma-scientist swallowed difficultly as Harry reached up and gently cupped his cheeks between his warm, callused hands. His touch still set fire to Bruce's body. It was a soul-consuming flame which left Bruce completely bare to those ethereal eyes; a burning inferno which tore him apart only to rebuild him again from scratch.

Ever since he first laid eyes on Harry that fire burned inside him, growing from a single spark into this conflagration that devoured his very soul.

"Bruce." He opened his eyes not really knowing when he closed them, and looked into Harry's love filled orbs. "I missed you." Harry murmured and Bruce let go of the breath he was unconsciously holding. He leaned down and sealed his lips over Harry's.

His life, his very _being_ belonged to this raven-haired Wizard.

And he wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

_One day you fall for this boy. And he touches you with his fingers. And he burns holes in your skin with his mouth. And it hurts when you look at him. And it hurts when you don't. And it feels like someone's cut you open with a jagged piece of glass._

_-Tracey Berkowitz_

* * *

Bruce laid awake in his and Harry's bed. He stared down at the face of the sleeping Wizard beside him, and for the first time in his life he could say that he was truly happy.

For the first time in his life there was nothing missing. He had friends he cared about and who cared about him, and he had Harry, who loved him just as much if not even more, than he loved the Wizard.

His life was complete. Sure, they never knew what tomorrow might bring. The Battle of New York was behind them and there was no trace of an immediate threat, but they never knew. Life was full of surprises. The only thing they could do was live their lives one day after another and hope that this peace would last.

"You're thinking again." Bruce looked at Harry's face and found the Wizard looking up at him with drooping eyes. "I can almost _hear_ the wheels turning in your head." The Gamma-scientist chuckled and Harry's kiss-abused lips twitched up into a small smile. He was lying on his stomach with his naked back gloriously revealed to Bruce's eyes. A white sheet was thrown over his lower body, and his arms were tucked under the pillow his head was resting on.

Bruce raised his left arm since he was leaning on his right elbow and traced the curve of Harry's spine with the tips of his fingers. A small smile tugged on his lips when Harry shivered and goose-bumps spread over his skin. He moved to lie down and kissed the nape of Harry's neck, letting go of a wavering breath when Harry trembled. He traced a scar on Harry's left shoulder, feeling the Wizard's eyes on his face. He traced another scar on the small of Harry's back, half of it concealed by the white sheet.

"She walks in beauty, like the night  
of cloudless climes and starry skies;  
and all that's best of dark and bright  
meet in her aspect and her eyes:  
thus mellow'd to that tender light  
which heaven to gaudy day denies." Bruce whispered as he traced nameless patterns on Harry's back, and the Wizard shivered lightly with his eyes focused on Bruce's thoughtful face.

"One shade the more, one ray the less,  
had half impaired the nameless grace  
which waves in every raven tress,  
or softly lightens o'er her face;  
where thoughts serenely sweet express  
how pure, how dear their dwelling-place." Bruce looked in Harry's eyes and raised his hand to gently caress Harry's right cheek with the back of his fingers.

"And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,  
so soft, so calm, yet eloquent,  
the smiles that win, the tints that glow,  
but tell of days in goodness spent,  
a mind at peace with all below,  
a heart whose love is innocent!" (1) a small smile tugged on Harry's lips and he tilted his head to the side to kiss Bruce's hand lightly.

"I never thought anyone would ever recite poetry to me." He whispered and Bruce chuckled.

"There's no sonnet in the world that could express what I feel for you." He spoke and Harry licked his lips as his eyes took in every shadowed line on Bruce's face.

"I can see it." He answered. "I can see it all." Bruce bowed down just as Harry rolled to his side and their lips met in a slow, loving, tender kiss. Bruce nuzzled his nose against Harry's as he shifted lower. Harry nuzzled closer to him with his face buried in Bruce's chest. He placed a loving kiss just over Bruce's heart and hid a smile in Bruce's chest when the Gamma-scientist kissed the top of his head.

"I love you." Bruce murmured into Harry's hair and the Wizard sighed happily.

"I love you too, Bruce. I love you too."

* * *

_I give up forever to love you; _  
_to see a smile shine in your eyes._  
_I lay down beside you and dream_  
_Of holding you 'til the end of all times._

_I give up forever to hold you _  
_so the whole world would know that you're mine._  
_You are my love, you are my life_  
_compared to eternity - tonight isn't enough._

_But what if what I have is just this moment _  
_to hold you and leave all else behind?_  
_You are the last thing I want to see_  
_when I close my eyes for the last time._

_So I will give up forever to hold you _  
_to capture this moment in time._  
_I give up forever to love you_  
_and know that forever you're mine._

* * *

(1) George Gordon, Lord Byron, 'She Walks in Beauty'


End file.
